The Next Step Forward
by vivid dreamer
Summary: This is the story of the usually trio of Ou, Hana, Tohru plus one Sophie who has come from a harsh background to help out not only her friends but the Sohma's with their curse.  KxT, YxM and so much more.


Okay, so here is my new story. I'm really excited about it and have been planning since the first time I saw FB. Now one of my favorite anime and manga. Of course there are characters that I take credit for such as Sophie Belvoix and her adoptive family. 

I hope you guys enjoy this oh and this is a Kyo x Tohru and Yuki x Machi pairing story along with many many others!

Read and Review please it means oh so much!

Vivid Dreamer

* * *

**Chapter 1: A group of four**

A group of four girls, 16 years old each, stood together talking in Kaibara High school's courtyard that was beautifully decorated with many different types of trees, flowers and grass that seemed unusually healthy being that it almost always shined a deep emerald green. Each of these girls had her own unique style and talent; there were only a few things that they essentially had in common. One was their intense feeling friendship that resembled a familial bond. The other was the matching blue and white sailor uniforms that they wore for school but even that was varied in different styles. The four of them made quite a group: a Yankee, a Psychic, a French Orphan and the kind yet naïve one.

Leaning against a tree stood the tallest of the four at her 5'6", her name is Uotani Arisa. She has a tough girl look with her long side-sweeping blond hair and sharp gray eyes; she was a former Yankee gang member and was known to have violent tendencies. Standing next to her is a mysterious girl slightly shorter with long black silky hair with mysterious and superstitious purple eyes. Slightly more curvy than her friend Ou-chan; stood the psychic of the group named Hanajima Saki or simply put just Hana-chan. Near Ou-chan and across from Hana-chan was the third and shortest girl of them all at exactly 5'0". She is a curvy, musical and smart French Orphan. She has long, bang-less straight white hair, which was usually worn in a knot at her nape, which cascades into a long ponytail. Her eyes are deep, sensual golden amber and she has fair skin. This girl's name is Belvoix Sophie. The last girl at her 5'2" is extremely generous and happy-go-lucky. Sometimes they call her naïve; her name is Honda Tohru. Tohru has long, straight chestnut brown hair and teal green eyes.

"Are you meeting someone special for lunch, Bel-chan?" asked Tohru indicating at Sophie's extra bento box wrapped in her special golden silk scarf.

"Oh no. But after school today I am going to see _mon pere(father)_ downtown for dinner so I made it in advance. I really haven't seen him much lately. He's had a lot of cases to deal with lately," replied Sophie with a hint of loneliness in her voice while rubbing her bruised wrist that was holding her father's bento.

"Oi, what happened to your wrist?" exclaimed Arisa "Was it that bitch, Okuni? Has she been messing with you? I didn't know she'd been messing with you." She grunted with a clenched fist that was turning white from the pressure that was quickly building around and in it.

"Oh no it wasn't Okuni; though she isn't exactly nice to me. I think, no I know she despises the very ground I walk and she enjoys making my life miserable."

"So how did it happen?" asked Saki.

"Martial arts class, the other day. I went to block and well, I, my form was wrong so it got hurt and now I have a huge bruise," laughed Sophie holding up her gimp of a hand.

"That's funny 'cause it looks like the bruise wraps around your wrist," commented Arisa, skeptically.

"Oh, does it? I guess it was the impact from the kick"

"It does look really bad, Bel-chan. Do you want me to run and get you some ice?" asked Tohru.

"Iie. _Ca va bien(Its all good)._ It doesn't hurt all that bad, anyway," shrugged Sophie with indifference while in the distance you can hear the yells from high-pitched girls filled with excitement. Walking into the school at the gates was Sohma Yuki otherwise known as The Prince. He was tall, thin and well, beautiful. Following him and yelling about him and at him was a hoard of high-school girls getting hornier by the minute.

Watching from the courtyard stood the girls in a surprised stance even though it was something they saw everyday. Arisa, exhaling in annoyance, blowing her hair out; Saki giving the girls her usual glare of cautious watchfulness while Tohru being quite oblivious to it all whereas Sophie was thoroughly annoyed by it all. "I don't get it," she huffed. "Why spend so much time and energy goggling over a guy, _un homme(a man), un garcon(a boy). _He's not really a Prince and he's really feminine looking albeit really good looking but still ultra feminine. I'm sure he's nice enough but God could they just get a life already?"

"He is their life even if it is pathetic. Let's just go to class." huffed Arisa.

"Let's wait. It could get dangerous in there. Tohru-kun could get hurt," commented Saki sagely.

"Too true. You're a little clumsy, nee Tohru?" questioned Sophie teasingly.

"Ahhh," blushed Tohru as the rest of them enjoyed a good laugh.

* * *

It had begun to seem as though this school year was getting longer and longer for the four girls who had had a rough year already after the death of Tohru's mother, Kyoko four months ago in May. Honda Kyoko had a huge impact on the troubled girls and had helped them find a good path that strayed from the bigger dangers of the world they had already been exposed to. She helped Arisa escape from the violent dangers of the gangs, helped Saki realize the good her psychic ability could do verse the bad, which by the way at her worst Saki could even kill someone with her electric waves. But for Sophie, Kyoko offered a safe haven. Sophie and her adoptive mother, Okuni were always fighting or should I say that it was Okuni that was fighting with Sophie who was just trying to survive Okuni's abusive personality. Kyoko showed Sophie that there were still good mothers and women in the world who actually cared and lived for their daughters or loved ones or even for just humankind no matter who they were. Kyoko embodied everything good, cool, amazing and nurturing to them. But besides that she could really kick some ass, too. Even though this mostly was cool to Arisa in comparison to the others. 

School, even though it had not started long ago, it was now already September and the second term of school year was in full swing for them but each one, excepting Tohru of course, always felt like they had enough of school and its inconveniences such as the obsessive fan clubs. But each had their own world that they lived in. Arisa by herself in her small one-room apartment that she worked two jobs to pay for; Saki in a normal house with her younger brother Megumi and her parents, Sophie currently with her loving adoptive father; but also her abusive adoptive mother and her adoptive brother who tortured her to no end. Then Tohru who had been living with her paternal grandfather until he moved in with her aunt who was known to openly hate Tohru. So, Tohru who was so kind and unassuming set up camp literally with a tent in a receded brushy area that resembled a forest not too far from the central part of the suburbs where her school and friends were.

So with Arisa, Saki and Tohru heading towards the normal venues in this stage in their life, Sophie head towards the bus stop where she took a bus an half an hour away towards the central part of the city where her adoptive father's law firm was. Only warm feeling surged through Sophie's soul and mind at the thought of her kind, protective but oblivious adoptive father. As long as she was around him she was safe from Okuni and her adoptive brother, Zumiku. He had no idea about what they did to her but it was better that way because it would crush him to know that the people that he loved the most were really torturers, people who did unthinkable crimes against her and her body. But it did not matter because she, Sophie was numb when she wasn't around her friends and her father. She was a cold machine; she had no feeling, no respect, and no consideration for others. If she did she probably would have died long ago from the agony of it all.

Her recent past was only dark, black, pitch black.

The bright September sun brought her out of her reverie of bleakness and made her feel warm, caring and alive. She was entering the main part of the city now and could see the skyline of high skyscrapers and metal buildings. The bus pulled in front of a very familiar large building with silver kanji and romanji characters sprawled across the front in a business-like font. It read: Hinuka & Kumiji. Kumiji Saizo was her adoptive dad who cared and loved her as only her friends and Kyoko could and did.

She took her leave of the bus and walked through the swinging doors of said building and up to the security guard named Kenji who immediately recognized her and buzzed her through to the elevator on the right, which was used mainly by the workers and not the clientele. Up, up and up she went till she finally got to the 10th and top floor of the vast building. It was on the tenth floor that the most prestigious partners worked. It was beautifully decorated with neutral and sophisticated colors such as beige, white, medium blues and a dark maple brown wood but strangely enough she noticed red too on these beautiful walls. She looked around in horror as she saw probably the most frightening thing she had ever seen since the death of her biological parents at a Paris Riot. The beautiful hardwood floors were smeared with red, blood red. The walls, too. In fact everything was. Gruesome streaks and splatters of that beautiful color were everywhere but not in a good way. As she looked around, all she saw was a massacre. The familiar faces of her father's secretaries, mail boy, and temps were everywhere. Gunshots in their heads, stab marks in their chests and the horror frozen in their dead cold eyes.

Running towards her father's office with the worry and dread of losing her only anchor; her only safety net. But then she heard it in the office: yelling, crying and the begging of her father.

She froze in a startling panic. She was suddenly afraid. He was crying.

"Please don't kill anymore people! Kill me and be done with it! Those people were only following my orders."

"HA YOU OLD FOOL!! I'VE ALREADY KILLED THEM ALL!!!! SCARED THE LIFE OUT OF THEM !! Quite literally too!! And IT'S YOUR FAMILY THAT'S NEXT AFTER YOU!!"

"NANI??!!" he screamed in a harsh cry, " Please don't. Kidnap me and torture me if you want to hurt and kill."

"Why in the HELL would I do that?"

Being unable to do anything else, Sophie quietly moved into the corner and grabbed her emergency cell phone that her father had bought for her just last week. She called the police who were almost there. What could she do till then? She had some unknown power similar to Saki's but was not quite well enough to control it as of yet. The discipline of martial arts she was learning was helping though she doubted she could take on the assassin with her mediocre skills at both controlling her power and at executing the moves necessary to knock him out.

"I'm just so useless," she moaned softly feeling quite desolate in her current horror story.

But that's when she heard it. BAM!!!!!

OH GOD!! Her brain screamed at her. GET UP AND KILL HIM, RUN JUST DO SOMETHING MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN POUTING ON THE FLOOR, YOU BAKA!! Not knowing what to do but already feeling the anger rise in her body to extreme amounts, she did the unthinkable. She ran forward towards her father's killer; revenge was the only impulse driving her forward.

Only the holy _Dieu (god)_ knew what she was thinking at that moment even later if you were to ask her she would have no answer. The assassin hearing footsteps quickly turned around and started laughing at her in her ridiculous blue and white sailor uniform running at him with rage and death gleaming in her eyes. But his laughter only increased the gleaming into a deep, rich fire, which accentuated her fearsome amber eyes.

"Well, I can't believe I missed this. Just a single little girl. What are you on a field trip or something?" he mocked.

"_Non,Tu es un ane!!! __(No, You are an ass!!!)_" started sputtering Sophie in her native tongue, seeing fire. "How dare you kill my father!!! You will regret this till the day you die!"

"Oh, you are his daughter. You must be stupid if you heard anything that has been happening, you should have run away. But your lost, not mine!" he said reaching out and grabbing her arm and throwing her against the wall, laughing.

Sophie bounded back up after hitting the wall, snickering, "Is that all you got, dick face? My mother can beat me better than that. In fact, she did just a few days ago? Whatever you do, I can almost guarantee that I've experienced it. You're going to hell!" she whispered menacingly.

"Look here, girlie!" He said bringing her towards him. "You better watch what the fuck you say to me!! I'm a fuckin' assassin. An escapee from prison. You can't possibly tell me you're not afraid of me!"

"I what if I do," she spat back snobbishly as he slammed her head into the hard wooden part of the walls causing a huge red spot and bleeding to spur up on to her head. But suddenly she felt the weight that was holding her head down was violently released. Looking up she saw the familiarity of the Japanese visage with its slated dark eyes, yellow-tinted skin, and straight jet black hair of the Japanese policeman that had released her from the assassin.

"Miss, you are hurt. Come with me, I'll take you to the paramedics."

"Thank you but could you wait one moment, please," she asked sweetly as she moved towards the assassin as the officer looked on at her incredulously, he probably thought she was mad, crazy or just fucking insane. That man just killed all those people.

"Matte!! I want to tell him something!" she said as she moved a little more slowly after him. "That last move was much better than the first. Good luck in hell, Bastard!" she said bringing up her knee roughly to make a harsh contact with his balls. Forget discipline and martial arts this was much more influential on the victim. The police around them stared at her unbelieving as her rescuer came and pulled her away, reprimanding her for such impulsive acts loudly. Then whispering softly, "Nice power kick. Damn bastard!"

Before she knew it she was put in the paramedic truck for some bandaging of her head. The paramedics were shocked when she shoved off the wound as mediocre and not anything to be worried about. When they asked her how she could think such a thing she nonchalantly responded that the assassin was weak and that her karate mates have done worse to her while sparing and practicing her martial arts training. Looking at her like she was an alien from outer space they just shook their heads at the girl and drove her to the station where she made a statement saying what she saw heard and knew about this incident. Then was told to wait because her mother was on her way to identify the body of her father and to pick her up.

"But she doesn't drive," stated Sophie with certainty.

"She said your brother was home tonight so he was able to take her. They were besides themselves with worry over you," mentioned the kind officer to her and as he walked away she mumbled to herself, "Oh, I'm sure they were. What would they do without their punch bag?" she questioned the stiff, clean air that surrounded her at the station. It was then that Sophie began to contemplate her life.

All she could really think was how her life was going to forever altered by his death. She must prepare herself for daily beatings and torture sessions from both Okuni and Kumiku.

It did not take long for Okuni and Kumiku to take out their frustrations on Sophie causing her so much more damage than the assassin got even close to achieving. It was after some time that eventually, after a very powerful kick to the head thanks to Kumiku that she fell completely unconscious.

* * *

The next thing Sophie knew was that she was in a sea of white; white walls, white ceiling, white curtains and even white sheets. As she blinked her eyes several times to get a clearer view she saw a woman, in a blue nursing outfit. Sophie slowly sat up almost completely aware of her current condition except for the head injury. It was like a searing jolt of pain that swamped through her brain like a heavy current making her dizzy and nauseated. 

"Oh your finally awake!" spoke the nurse loudly in fact much too loud. As Sophie quickly covered her ears realizing that her injury could be affecting her hearing at the present moment, "I'll go get the doctor."

As the nurse left, Sophie had noticed a few more things around her on the floor. A duffel bag and her laptop case on the floor; stranger and stranger. Why would Okuni take her to a hospital only to leave her stuff lying around, in fact she bet most of her belongings were in those two things. But the shuffling of the feet outside her door stopped her rattled thinking process. It was a very tall Japanese man who quietly walked in and in almost an inaudible whisper began to question her as if she were a 5-year-old child.

"You must be feeling awful, nee?"

" 'Course." Sophie answered surprised by the roughness of her voice.

"May I ask your name?"

"Can I ask you a question first?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"How did I get in the hospital?"

"Well, it was really much to my surprise when a very nice woman and her son of a very prestigious family entered with you saying they found you on the street with your belongings and said you were quite bloodied up. They even offered to pay for your services here in the hospital. Very nice of them really."

"What family is helping me so?"

"The Kumiji. Now will you perhaps tell me your name?"

"Oh hai. Its Sophie."

"No family name."

"I can't remember if I have one or not. Since I've been on the street most of my life."

"I see much like a Jane Doe, nee? Well, do you remember what happened to you today?"

"I have no clue."

"Have any friends?"

"Yes I do but they live far from here about a half an hour on the Mi Train. In Kaibara."

"Why don't we call them up and let them know?"

"No they are students at school and its very important for them to go. Plus its too late and I couldn't ask them to catch a train out here just for me. Perhaps we can wait until morning?"

"Is that really what you want?"

"Yes. I'm lucky to have even made such nice friends. I won't abuse them. How long must I be here?"

"Well your injuries are serious enough that I want to have you in here for at least another day if not more."

"It's so sad. I wonder where I shall go after that?"

"Perhaps a friend can help you get on your feet."

"No, that's not possible. I'd be too big of a burden for them."

"Perhaps then I could recommend some good homeless centers in the area?"

"If its not too much trouble."

"No, none at all. Now please try to get some rest. It will be bad for you to move around too much with that head of yours," he calmly suggested as he exited followed by his obedient nurses.

Slowly, so not to bother her head, Sophie eased herself down into the bed. _I understand now_ began her thought, _now that __**mon pere**__ is dead they have no use for me. So they gave me one last parting blow before sending me off to a hospital a half an hour away from where I would normally be and then they try to pass me off as homeless. Though I guess I am now, forever. But this is positive in regard; I will never have to live through another tragic escapade as I have been for years in that fuckin house. I'm free of them and their abusive ways. Though I'm not sure as of yet what I'll do, surely not a homeless center though. No, maybe I'll stay at work for a few days or weeks till I can find a place. If Arisa, Saki and Tohru will allow me to, they'll probably want to coddle me till Kingdom Come. But wait, otou-san is dead and there will be a funeral. I will miss it!!!!! They surely did this so I would be unable to see his funeral. The Fuckers!!! Oh, how I hate them, despise them!! It's all their fault. All I ever wanted was to be happy! _She thought as she let out a little cry in her distress over her father and for the first time in a long time, she cried for what tragic moments her life would be from that moment on.

* * *

It was a bright but scary morning for Honda Tohru on the day that she walked to school with Sohma Yuki-san for the first time. Especially with all of those fan girls giving her scary looks promising a confrontation later that day. But luckily for her, she had her friends to help her avoid a fight. But something was off this morning, it was a strange day indeed because Sophie was rarely ever tardy in the worst of circumstances. She was just too reliable for that to happen too often. 

"Is Bel-chan already in the classroom?" questioned Tohru aloud.

"No, but maybe she's just running late."

"Let's just hope she hasn't been influenced by Ou-chan too much," remarked Saki with a slight smile.

"Oi! I have been a lot better at that lately. Only a couple times a month, now," replied Arisa with a smile of achievement.

"I hope nothing has happened to her. ." worried Tohru.

"Nah, I wouldn't worry about her Tohru. She's strong and can handle a lot. And if not we'll find out later and kick whose ever ass messed with her!" exclaimed Arisa ready for a good fight as Mayu-sensei started behind her with a tap on the girl's shoulder.

"May I speak with you three, please?" she asked rigidly pulling them aside into the teachers lounge. Getting them all a chair to sit in she started, "We received a message this morning from the hospital downtown. It was Sophie-chan that was on the phone with a scratchy voice."

At this moment Arisa jumped out of her chair, "What? Is she hurt? We should be going to see her then?"

"Calm down Outani! And sit down please so I can explain."

"She said that there was some trouble down at her father's office last night while she was visiting. One of her father's cases attacked him and she got hurt in the process but _not _critically. The doctor asked her to stay last night and also he wishes for her to stay tonight. And that she'll be back in school on Monday morning after the weekend."

"Ou-chan is right, then. We should go see her," decided Saki as Tohru looked on even more worriedly.

"No there is more to tell you. She told me that she wishes you all to stay in school for the day because she remembers that there was a big exam today and asked that you guys would not all visit her till tonight. She also said that she was spending a lot of time sleeping and recovering and the doctor won't allow visitors until she is more rested."

"So we are to just sit here and wait!" yelled Arisa quite angered.

"Yes."

"Though it might be better this way Ou-chan if Bel-chan has some time to rest before we get their at the hospital. And there are doctors there to help her," stated Tohru, "But I am worried because I must go to work tonight and I can't call it off. This is too short notice. Do you think Bel-chan will be angry if I can't come?" she worried quite fervently.

"No," the joined in unison, "Hana-chan I will go and tell her that you were worried about her and then tomorrow we can tell you all about it."

The day passed on slowly for the trio as they increasingly noticed the fourth person missing from their usual quarto but luckily there were enough to talk about. Since Tohru and Yuki-kun had walked to school together they spent time analyzing his ways and just tried not to think too hard about their dear friend who was cooped up in the hospital. But as the day finished out the trio parted: Arisa and Saki hoping on the first bus to the downtown hospital and then Tohru who was walked part of the way to her work by the Prince Yuki-kun.

* * *

Walking speedily to the front desk Arisa demanded, "We need to find a Belvoix Sophie, right away!" 

"Belvoix . . .. Belvoix . . . I'm sorry I don't have a patient under that name. Perhaps you have the wrong hospital," replied the attendant.

"I do feel Bel-chan's waves," mentioned Saki quietly. "Perhaps I can find her," she said as she started letting out signals and it wasn't before long that they arrived at a door on the second floor of the building. The paper attached to the door said, " Sophie".

Walking in slowly they saw a white haired girl with bandages wrapped around her pale head and her pale arms covered in white bandages. The girl turned her head slowly and looked up in shock with her glowing amber eyes and with her unusually hoarse voice, "Arisa, Saki, you came!"

"Of course we came!" exclaimed Arisa impatiently as she huffed back her hair in annoyance.

"Why does the hospital not know your last name, Bel-chan?" asked Saki suspiciously.

"I was dropped off by Okuni after father was attacked and then well I got hurt in the process and Okuni was too busy to fill in any information so she didn't stay. Just literally dropped me off. I was so disoriented, I was knocked around quite a bit that I couldn't fill it all in. It was better for the hospital not to know my family name because of what happened with _mon pere._"

"Isn't he here too. Wasn't he attacked, too?!" asked Arisa.

"He was but he was shot and killed," softly stated Sophie with sadness.

"Killed?" they asked in a quiet unison.

"Yes. I'm being released tomorrow in time to go to the funeral but I can't go to the wake. I think Okuni dropping me off in this manner proves her desire to keep me out of such family functions."

"But he was your step-father! And a nice man even if he was a little dense!"

"Yes well, I can't leave to go and stay up with the body tonight which really saddens me but what can I do when I am confided to this damned bed! Every time I move too fast my head starts to spin. I was hit or kicked I should say rather hard."

"Poor Bel-chan, you have been through a lot. Is there anything you need?" asked Saki sympathetically.

"Yeah my voice is really sore could you get me a glass of water? I'm not sure when I'll be able to go back to work," sighed Sophie.

"I wouldn't worry about that just try to recover. We'll go to the funeral with you tomorrow," stated Saki.

"No, I must go alone and face Okuni. Besides it would upset Tohru if you guys skipped school to go. Also I don't want Tohru to think that she should skip school on my account or my stepfather's. You all can go with me to the memorial services. I'll be all right. I promise."

"If that's what you want?" asked Saki knowing there was no arguing with Sophie once her mind was made up.

"It is."

"Awe, come on Bel-chan. You don't really want to be alone when this is all going on, do you?"

"I do in this one circumstance, Arisa. Sorry, I will need you guys later. This is just something I must do on my own. 'Kay?"

"If you insist."

"Thanks guys. You three mean the world to me and I'm sure I'll need you more than ever after this."


End file.
